Today Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri and the Minister of the Internal Affairs of Kosovo* Skender Hyseni signed a Working Arrangement for the establishment of operational cooperation between the Agency and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo.
“Strengthening of operational cooperation between the EU member States and Kosovo are of great significance given the latest developments in the entire Western Balkans region,” said Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri.
The aim of this working arrangement is mainly to structure cooperation in many areas covered by Frontex. While initial cooperation was mainly in the field of risk analysis, the signing of the document allow Frontex and the Kosovo authorities to cooperate more intensively in other areas, including exchange of information, joint operations, training and research and development.
The Border Department of the Kosovo Police will play a key role in the implementation of the working arrangement, but other relevant authorities will also be covered by this arrangement.
Frontex has so far concluded working arrangements with the authorities of 17 countries: the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United States, Montenegro, Belarus, Canada, Cape Verde, Nigeria, Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan as well as with the CIS Border Troop Commanders Council and the MARRI Regional Centre in the Western Balkans.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.